Route 62
Route 62 is an important Historical Route that links small farming communities with the two major harbour towns of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in South Africa. There are strong similarities between Route 62 and Route 66 in the United States of America: they were both built to connect small farming communities with two major harbour towns in the 1920s and they were both replaced by highways in the 1950s. Like the Route 66 in the USA, Route 62 lost its glory when the N2 Highway was completed in 1958 through the seemingly endless cornfields.
Close to midway between Cape Town and the Garden Route lies a cluster of 5 unique and special villages comprising Montagu (well-known for its friendly accommodation and hot springs and also voted by 2.4 million people their ‘Village of the Year’) Robertson, Ashton, Bonnievale (centre of the Valley of Wine and Roses-Robertson Wine Valley) and McGregor (old cottages and arts). Together these make up the Langerberg Municipality – branded as the 'Heart of Route 62', offering a third major destination in the Cape for visitors to spend 4 or 5 days.
Route 62 offers more sun-and-fun days than coastal tourism destinations and is less crowded, less expensive and much friendlier. From Cape Town to Oudtshoorn, the Route 62 option is 70 km shorter than the N2. Whilst on the way to the Garden Route, you also pass through 14 beautiful and historical villages lined by stunning mountain ranges. The diversity of vegetation and scenery makes this route the Traveller’s Route and one should spend as much time as possible enjoying the drive and relaxing (while saving fuel) for 4 or 5 days in the Heart of Route 62.
Below is an outline itinerary.
Day 1: Arrival in Cape TownSee Cape Town#Get in for details on how to get to the city in the first place.
Day 2: Cape TownCape Town has a rich and multi-cultural history because of its position as a stopping point for ships plying their trade between East and West.
Day 3: Cape Town to PaarlPaarl, derived from Parel, meaning Pearl in Dutch. So called because of the huge granite rock on the mountain outside the town, which gleams like a pearl in certain lights.
Day 5: Montagu - Swellendam - Zuurbraak - Barrydale- MontaguDrive the scenic R60 to Swellendam, a charming town that was founded as a military outpost in 1745.
Day 6: Tractor trip or rock climbing?The Montagu Tractor Trip to the summit of the Langeberg mountains is a world renowned experience. Trips can be done on Wednesdays and on Saturdays at 10:00 and 14:00.
Day 7: Robertson Wine Valley Route (52 km round trip)Famous wine estates, for example Zandvliet with its magnificent Manor house and race-horse stud farming, creates a wonderful atmosphere to savour the wines produced on this estate.
Day 7: Montagu - Bonnievale - Bredasdorp - Elim - L’Agulhas - Hermanus - MontaguDrive through Bonnievale and Stormsvlei to Bredasdorp where you can visit the fascinating Shipwreck Museum.
Day 8: Montagu-McGregor-Robertson-Ashton-MontaguDrive to Bonnievale and then to Robertson seeing the many wine farms and at Robertson, turn off to McGregor 26 km to a village full of small thatched cottages and crafts from potters to sun-dial makers.
Day 9: Depart for OudtshoornBarrydale, flanked by the Langeberge, is one of the prettiest villages on the Route 62. It offers an unrivalled diversity of vegetation and wildlife within 30-km radius.
Day 10: OudtshoornThe ostrich capital of the world is a hive of activity.
Day 11:12 Prince Albert/OudtshoornStay in Oudtshoorn for 2 or 3 nights as there is more to do here than immediately obvious.
Day 13 to 15: Knysna and the Garden RouteKnysna is one of the Garden Route’s best-known travel destinations. Situated between lush forests and the shores of the peaceful estuary, it offers many activities and attractions to a wide variety of people.
Day 16: Depart for Cape Town via HermanusDrive along the N2 back to Cape Town, with a stop to view whales during the breeding season in the lovely seaside town of Hermanus.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Route 62" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0